System and method for generating suggested alternatives for visual or audible submissions

ABSTRACT

Alternative representations are generated from a user&#39;s audible or visual data submission (e.g., user&#39;s picture) for use as part of an online account profile or user identification in an online service (e.g., online gaming user profile) or computer device. A specific representation is selected for use with the online account or computing device. Furthermore, a specific representation of the user&#39;s audible or visual data that is suitable for a particular display device (e.g., television, cellular telephone) can be generated and presented.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/985,121, filed Nov. 10, 2004, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORGENERATING SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVES FOR VISUAL OR AUDIBLE SUBMISSIONS,”the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed to user identification for computingdevices, and more particularly, to visual or audible alternatives foruser accounts.

BACKGROUND

As online services that require account names or “User IDs” become moreand more populated with user communities, the number of names readilyavailable for user selection dwindles. Early in an online service's lifecycle, one might be able to request the name “Bill” and actually havethat name issued to them. On an older or more populated service, someonerequesting the name “Bill” will likely find that name is already taken,and be offered a number of system-generated alternative selections, like“Bill______” or “Bill060675” or “Wild_William.”

New online services and computer systems are being created that relyincreasingly upon unique user identifying marques that include not justtext display names, but upon photos, 3D models, and eventually smallaudio or video clips.

In cases where such richer media is used by a user to identify oneself,exclusivity is rarely a concern because photographs, audio and videoclips tend to be unique by their nature. Richer media does, however,present a challenge in how it is presented to users. For example,photographs tend to display much better on higher resolution computermonitors than they do on lower-resolution (e.g., NTSC) television sets.

When online services and systems are consumed via a range of devices(e.g., televisions, cellular phones, PCs, personal digital assistants,etc.) and make use of richer media for personal identification, theproblem arises of how to display the uniquely identifying media suchthat it looks and/or sounds best.

Previous online service offerings have supported some forms of richermedia for personal identity. MSN Messenger is an example wherein a 96×96pixel picture can be added to one's personal profile. This poses somelimitations and demands upon users to get a good-looking picturerepresentation. For example, if a user submits a large photo, MSNMessenger's smaller 96×96 pixel representation of that picture isgenerally unrecognizable. The picture is distorted to the point of beingunrecognizable as the application system scaled, skewed, downsized,decolorized, and otherwise distorted it. The end result can bedispleasing for customers.

The concept of image alternatives in itself is not new. Photo editingapplications like Adobe Photoshop have offered users “thumbnailpreviews” of various image filters. However, such alternativerepresentations have been conventionally been used for editing purposes.

An effective and efficient system and method for generating alternativesinto an online system or computer system for managing and customizingaccounts eludes those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to generating alternativerepresentations of a user's audible or visual data for use as part of anonline account profile or user identification in an online service orcomputer system. An audible or visual data submission is provided to thecomputing device by a user account. The computing device analyzes thedata submission and generates alternatives for selection. The computingdevice outputs the alternatives for user account selection. At least onespecific representation is selected by the user for use with the onlineaccount or system. According to aspects of the invention, a specificrepresentation of the user's audible or visual data can be generatedand/or suggested that is suitable for a particular display device.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be madeapparent from the following detailed description of illustrativeembodiments that proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofpreferred embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating theinvention, there is shown in the drawings exemplary constructions of theinvention; however, the invention is not limited to the specific methodsand instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing a computer system in whichaspects of the present invention may be incorporated;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing an exemplary local computingdevice interacting with a remote computing device or online service inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for generatingalternatives from a data submission in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 4A is a symbolic representation of exemplary alternative mediarepresentations generated responsive to a data submission in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a symbolic representation of further exemplary alternativemedia representations generated responsive to a data submission inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of generating specificalternatives from a data submission for a specific target renderingmedium in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for generatingalternatives from a data submission in accordance with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of simulating specificalternatives from a data submission for a specific target renderingmedium in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The subject matter is described with specificity to meet statutoryrequirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limitthe scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated thatthe claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, toinclude different steps or combinations of steps similar to the onesdescribed in this document, in conjunction with other present or futuretechnologies. Moreover, although the term “step” may be used herein toconnote different elements of methods employed, the term should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individualsteps is explicitly described.

Exemplary Computing Environment

Numerous embodiments of the present invention may execute on a computer.FIG. 1 and the following discussion are intended to provide a briefgeneral description of a suitable computing environment in which theinvention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention willbe described in the general context of computer executable instructions,such as program modules, being executed by a computer, such as a clientworkstation or a server. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures and the like that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed with other computer system configurations, including handhelddevices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor based or programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computersand the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary general purpose computing systemincludes a conventional personal computer 20 or the like, including aprocessing unit 21, a system memory 22, and a system bus 23 that couplesvarious system components including the system memory to the processingunit 21. The system bus 23 may be any of several types of bus structuresincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memoryincludes read only memory (ROM) 24 and random access memory (RAM) 25. Abasic input/output system 26 (BIOS), containing the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the personalcomputer 20, such as during start up, is stored in ROM 24.

The personal computer 20 may further include a hard disk drive 27 forreading from and writing to a hard disk, not shown, a magnetic diskdrive 28 for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk 29,and an optical disk drive 30 for reading from or writing to a removableoptical disk 31 such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. The hard diskdrive 27, magnetic disk drive 28, and optical disk drive 30 areconnected to the system bus 23 by a hard disk drive interface 32, amagnetic disk drive interface 33, and an optical drive interface 34,respectively. The drives and their associated computer readable mediaprovide nonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules and other data for the personal computer 20.

Although the exemplary environment described herein employs a hard disk,a removable magnetic disk 29 and a removable optical disk 31, it shouldbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of computerreadable media which can store data that is accessible by a computer,such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks,Bernoulli cartridges, random access memories (RAMs), read only memories(ROMs) and the like may also be used in the exemplary operatingenvironment.

A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magneticdisk 29, optical disk 31, ROM 24 or RAM 25, including an operatingsystem 35, one or more application programs 36, other program modules37, and program data 38. A user may enter commands and information intothe personal computer 20 through input devices such as a keyboard 40 andpointing device 42. Other input devices (not shown) may include amicrophone, joystick, game pad, satellite disk, scanner or the like.These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit21 through a serial port interface 46 that is coupled to the system bus,but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, gameport or universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 47 or other type ofdisplay device is also connected to the system bus 23 via an interface,such as a video adapter 48. In addition to the monitor 47, personalcomputers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown),such as speakers and printers. The exemplary system of FIG. 1 alsoincludes a host adapter 55, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) bus56, and an external storage device 62 connected to the SCSI bus 56.

The personal computer 20 may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remotecomputer 49. The remote computer 49 may be another personal computer, aserver, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common networknode, and typically includes many or all of the elements described aboverelative to the personal computer 20, although only a memory storagedevice 50 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connectionsdepicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 51 and a wide areanetwork (WAN) 52. Such networking environments are commonplace inoffices, enterprise wide computer networks, intranets and the internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the personal computer 20 isconnected to the LAN 51 through a network interface or adapter 53. Whenused in a WAN networking environment, the personal computer 20 typicallyincludes a modem 54 or other means for establishing communications overthe wide area network 52, such as the internet. The modem 54, which maybe internal or external, is connected to the system bus 23 via theserial port interface 46. In a networked environment, program modulesdepicted relative to the personal computer 20, or portions thereof, maybe stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciatedthat the network connections shown are exemplary and other means ofestablishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

While it is envisioned that numerous embodiments of the presentinvention are particularly well-suited for computerized systems, nothingin this document is intended to limit the invention to such embodiments.On the contrary, as used herein the term “computer system” is intendedto encompass any and all devices comprising press buttons, or capable ofdetermining button presses, or the equivalents of button presses,regardless of whether such devices are electronic, mechanical, logical,or virtual in nature.

Exemplary Embodiments

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing an exemplary local computingdevice 220 interacting with a remote computing device 240. The remotecomputing device 240 may be an online service, for example. FIG. 2depicts a data submission provided (e.g., via a user, an input device,or another computing device) into the local computing device 220, whichmay be a personal computer, for example. An exemplary data submissionmay be a picture file, a video file, an audio file, a multimedia file,or any other type of data file, for example. The data submission may bein any format, such as .jpg, .mpeg, .wav, for example.

The data submission is then transmitted or otherwise provided oroutputted from the local computing device 220 to the remote computingdevice 240, via a cable, the Internet, or other communications networkfor example, for processing. After the remote computing device 240receives the data submission, the remote computing device 240 desirablyprocesses the data submission and generates at least one alternative.These alternatives are based on the originally received data submission,and may be generated by any appropriate algorithm, technique, orapplication. Exemplary techniques for generating alternatives include,but are not limited to, regional clipping to a subset resolution,scaling with multiple axis skew, and key region detection. Suchtechniques are described further herein.

The remote computing device 240 then transmits or otherwise provides thealternatives to the local computing device 220. The alternatives maythen be displayed, played, or otherwise provided to a user forselection, for example. The selected alternative(s) may then beassociated with an account and/or computing device that is establishedfor, or associated with, the user, for example.

It is contemplated that the alternative(s) may be generated locally atthe local computing device 220, rather than being generated remotely. Aselection of at least one alternative may be made at the local computingdevice 220, and the remote computing device 240 may then be advised ofthe selection(s) and/or provided with the selection(s).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for generating suggestedalternatives from a visual or audible data submission. The exemplarymethod may be employed when a user desires to attach a visual or audibledata submission for account association, for example. At step 310, theuser initializes the program and establishes an account (e.g.,establishes an account with an online service such as msn.com). At step320, the user desirably configures the account by either selecting orinputting account data, perhaps pursuant to prompts or a wizard, forexample, provided either locally or remotely (e.g., from the onlineservice or other remote computing device).

At step 330, the user may be asked whether he wishes to customize theuser account, e.g., by associating a data submission with the account.If the user wishes not to customize the account at step 330, then atstep 399, the account may be saved with any changes made by the user,for example, and the program is exited.

If, however, the user wishes to customize the account, then at step 340,the program (or processor, or other processing software or hardware, forexample) desirably prompts the user for either audible or visual media,for example, to associate with the user account. At step 350, the datasubmission is received (e.g., by user input), and alternative mediarepresentations are generated at step 360.

The alternative media representations are desirably presented to theuser at step 370 for selection. Such presentation can take the form of avisual display and/or audio playback, for example. If the user decidesto use one or more of the alternative media representations at step 380,the user may select the alternative media representation(s) and theaccount is updated with the new media selection at step 390. The changesare preferably saved with the changes made by the user for example, andprocessing is exited at step 399.

If the user decides not to use the alternative media representationsprovided at step 370, processing may continue at step 360 with a new setof alternatives being generated and presented.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show symbolic representations of exemplary alternativemedia representations that may be generated based on a data submissionin accordance with the present invention. With respect to FIG. 4A, adata submission 400 is received from the user and at least onealternative 410, 420, 430 is generated for user selection. For example,as shown, the data submission may be a data file representing aphotograph or other type of picture or image. Alternatively, the datasubmission may be a video file, an audio file, a multimedia file, or anyother type of data file, for example. A processor then generatesalternatives based on the data submission, as described further herein.The process may generate alternatives using head-shape region detection,for example.

As shown in FIG. 4A, for example, a data submission 400 represents aphotograph. It is noted that the photograph comprises various images,such as an image of a man, along with various objects, as well as abackground (e.g., sky) and a foreground (e.g., ground). If this picturewere merely used, as submitted, to represent the user account, it islikely that the items in the picture would be unrecognizable (and thusundesirable) as the picture is scaled to the display device (e.g., thedisplay device of a personal digital assistant, telephone, or onlinedisplay, such as a small icon or display area). Thus, preferably,various portions of the original data submission 400 are used asalternatives that are presented to the user for subsequent selection.

As shown in FIG. 4A, three alternatives 410, 420, 430 are generated forsubsequent presentation and selection by the user. Here, the user maydesire to choose alternative 410, which is a profile image of a man,instead of the alternatives 420 and 430, which represent a rocket motorand a lighting unit, respectively. Alternatives may have derived usinghead-shape region detection, for example. In this manner, the useraccount may be represented by a selected (and e.g., more appropriate,more desirable, and/or more recognizable) alternative. Additionalalternatives 450 are shown in FIG. 4B. These alternatives 450 may bepresented at the same time to the user, or sequentially, for example.Moreover, these alternatives may be presented to the user if the userfinds previously presented alternatives (e.g., alternatives 410, 420,430) undesirable.

As noted above, exemplary techniques for generating alternativesinclude, but are not limited to, regional clipping to a subsetresolution, scaling with multiple axis skew, and key region detection.Generally, regional clipping may be used when an original photo islarger than what can be displayed on a device (for example, a televisionor monitor) without severely shrinking the image. Scaling or shrinkingthe image may cause distortion to a degree that renders the pictureunusable or otherwise undesirable. By detecting the target resolution,for example, of a display device (e.g., post-interlaced resolution is320×240 pixels), and then comparing the resolution to the original imagethat may be composed of, for example, 720×480 pixels, a system mayperform a basic mapping of a smaller region and essentially create newimages from portions of the original.

Another exemplary algorithm uses the technique of scaling with multipleaxis skew that involves scaling, or resizing the media for betteroutput. Often times, this scaling can cause distortion due to mismatchedheight and width dimensions between the source and target media.Further, when scaling the larger of the two axes and the smaller axisremains proportional to the larger, one gets borders or “grout” aroundthe image. To solve this issue, another alternative may be applied inthe scale, for example, which is commonly known as a photo fill, whereinthe original image is scaled down to the smaller axis—in this casewidth—with the remaining cropped away.

Additionally, some high-end applications use key region detection. Asystem may employ a more advanced algorithm for detecting key regions ineither visual or audible media. In an audible media submission, forexample, key peaks and troughs in the audio wave itself may be culledout and offered as alternatives. In visual media submission, forexample, bright or dark regions may be detected and used as centerpoints for derived alternative images. Advanced key region detectionsystems may determine, for example, high-contrast regions and usingshape recognition software, pick out a person's face within a visualmedia.

A target rendering medium is, for example, an output device or viewingdevice of media. An exemplary target rendering medium may be, but is notlimited to, a television, a computer monitor, a cellular telephone, apersonal digital assistant, a gaming console, a multimedia console,speakers, or other display, playback, or output devices. Differenttarget rendering media may have different output formats andresolutions, for example. Accordingly, some alternatives generated froma data submission may be more suitable or desirable for presentation ona particular target rendering medium, while other alternatives may bemore suitable or desirable for presentation on another target renderingmedium. It is desirable to provide at least one alternative that isappropriate for a particular target rendering medium.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of generating specificalternatives from a data submission for a specific target renderingmedium from a visual or audible data submission, though it iscontemplated that any type of data file may be used as a datasubmission. It is further contemplated that alternatives may begenerated and presently concurrently or sequentially, for example, forone or more potential target rendering media. Steps 505, 510, and 515correspond to steps 310, 320, 330, as described above, and theirdescriptions are omitted for brevity. If the user wishes not tocustomize the account at step 515, then at step 599, the account isdesirably saved with any changes and the program is exited.

If, however, the user wishes to customize the account at step 515, thenat step 520, the program prompts the user for data, such as audible orvisual media, to associate with the user account. At step 525, theprogram receives the data submission (e.g., by user input). At step 530,the program prompts the user for the target rendering medium (or media,for example) and at step 535, the program receives user's selection forthe target rendering medium.

Upon receipt of the target rendering medium at step 535, the program (orunderlying or associated processor, for example) analyzes the datasubmission at step 540 to determine if the data submission isappropriate for the target rendering medium. A data submission may notbe appropriate if the resolution, for example, or capabilities of thetarget rendering medium are not sufficient to suitably display, play,broadcast, or otherwise output or present the data submission (e.g.,with appropriate or desired clarity). For example, assume a visual datasubmission may have a very high fidelity (e.g., a multi-megapixelphotograph), and the target rendering medium (e.g., a cellular telephonedisplay) is incapable of displaying the data submission without a highdegree of distortion. In such a case, the data submission may beconsidered inappropriate for the target rendering medium. Suchappropriateness may be determined by comparing resolution and/or size,for example, between the data submission and the target renderingmedium.

If the data submission is determined to be appropriate for the targetrendering medium at step 545, then the account is updated with the newmedia selection at step 565, and the changes are saved, and the programis exited in step 599.

If the data submission is not appropriate to use with the targetrendering medium, as determined at step 545, then one or morealternative media representations are generated at step 550. Thesealternatives may be generated using exemplary techniques describedherein, for example. It is contemplated that these alternative mediarepresentations may be generated for one or more target rendering media,such that, for example, one or more alternatives are generated for afirst target rendering medium and at least one other alternative isgenerated for a second target rendering medium.

The alternative media representations are desirably presented to theuser at step 555 for consideration and subsequent selection. If the userdecides to use one or more of the alternative media representation 560(e.g., for various target rendering media), the user may select thealternative media representation(s), the account is updated with the newmedia selection in step 565, the changes are saved, and the program isexited in step 599. If the user decides not to use the alternative mediarepresentations 560, processing desirably continues at step 550 withadditional alternatives being generated and presented for considerationand subsequent selection. The user may then select from a new set ofgenerated alternatives.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 600 for generatingalternatives from a data submission in accordance with the presentinvention. The system 600 comprises an input device 610 that receivesthe data submission from a user or user account, either directly orindirectly. The input device 610 may include a keyboard, a hard diskdrive, a diskette, a compact disk (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), aremovable storage device, an infrared signal, the Internet, or otherinput devices, for example.

The data submission is provided from the input device 610 to theprocessor 620. The processor 620 creates alternatives from the datasubmission. The processor 620 then provides the alternative(s) to anoutput device 630 for presentation to a user. The output device 630 mayinclude a television, a computer monitor, a cellular telephone, apersonal digital assistant, a gaming console, a multimedia console,speakers, or other output devices. In this manner, a user may view,listen to, or otherwise consider, and subsequently select, one or morealternatives to be associated with the account.

A user may desire viewing, listening to, or otherwise considering,alternatives from a data submission as they would be heard or displayedor otherwise outputted or presented on a target rendering medium beforeassociating the alternative with the account which in turn would lead tooutputting the alternative on the target rendering medium. A visualimage, for example, displayed on a cellular telephone may not look likethe same visual image displayed on a computer screen. Thus, a user maywish to have the image on the computer screen, for example, distorted orresized sufficiently to simulate how the same visual image may look on adevice with a lesser fidelity.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of simulating specificalternatives from a data submission for a specific target renderingmedium from a visual or audible data submission. Steps 705, 710, and 715correspond to steps 310, 320, 330, as described above, and theirdescriptions are omitted for brevity. If the user wishes not tocustomize the account at step 715, then at step 799, the account issaved and the program is exited.

If, however, the user wishes to customize the account 715, thenprocessing continues from steps 720 to 745 similar to steps 520 to 545,described above. The description of steps 720-745 is thus omitted forbrevity.

If the data submission is appropriate in step 745, then the account isupdated with the new media selection in step 770, the changes are saved,and the program is exited in step 799.

If the data submission is not appropriate to use with the targetrendering medium, then alternative media representations are generatedat step 750. The generated alternatives for the specific targetrendering medium are then used to simulate the alternatives (e.g.,visual and/or audible alternatives) for the specific target renderingmedium at step 755. The simulation at step 755 may include distortingthe visual or audible alternatives created at 750 to indicate to theuser what the visual or audible data, for example, may look or soundlike on a specific target rendering medium.

The simulated alternative media representations are presented to theuser at step 760 for selection. If the user decides to use analternative media representation at step 765, the user selects thealternative media representation, the account is updated with the newmedia selection at step 770, the changes are saved, and the program isexited in step 799. If the user decides not to use the alternative mediarepresentations at step 765, processing desirably continues at step 750with additional alternatives being generated, simulated, and presentedto the user for subsequent consideration and selection.

CONCLUSION

The various systems, methods, and techniques described herein may beimplemented with hardware or software or, where appropriate, with acombination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatus of the presentinvention, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form ofprogram code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such asfloppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readablestorage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into andexecuted by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes anapparatus for practicing the invention. In the case of program codeexecution on programmable computers, the computer will generally includea processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. One or more programs arepreferably implemented in a high level procedural or object orientedprogramming language to communicate with a computer system. However, theprogram(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, ifdesired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpretedlanguage, and combined with hardware implementations.

The methods and apparatus of the present invention may also be embodiedin the form of program code that is transmitted over some transmissionmedium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics,or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code isreceived and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, agate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, avideo recorder or the like, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing the invention. When implemented on a general-purposeprocessor, the program code combines with the processor to provide aunique apparatus that operates to perform the functionality of thepresent invention.

While the present invention has been described in connection with thepreferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understoodthat other similar embodiments may be used or modifications andadditions may be made to the described embodiments for performing thesame functions of the present invention without deviating therefrom.Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any singleembodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance withthe appended claims.

1. A method for generating alternatives from a data submission for atarget rendering medium, comprising: receiving a data submission, thedata submission comprising one of a video file, an audio file, amultimedia file, and a picture file; identifying the target renderingmedium; generating at least one alternative for the target renderingmedium; and associating the at least one alternative with a useraccount.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target rendering mediumcomprises at least one of a television, a computer monitor, a handheldmobile device, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, agaming console, a multimedia console, a watch, a home theater, andspeakers.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receivinginformation pertaining to at least one target rendering medium.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of at leastone target rendering medium.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising outputting the at least one alternative, and subsequentlyreceiving a selection of the at least one of the alternatives.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein a processor receives the data submission,generates the at least one alternative for target rendering medium, andoutputs the at least one alternative for selection.
 7. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising providing the at least one alternative tothe user account for selection.
 8. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising associating the selection with an account identifier.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the selection is received via a user accountinterface.
 10. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving aselected alternative from the user account.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising associating the selected alternative with the useraccount.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputtinginformation associated with the at least one alternative targetrendering medium for selection.
 13. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving at least one selection for an alternative targetrendering medium.
 14. A method for simulating an alternative from a datasubmission for a target rendering medium, comprising: identifying thetarget rendering medium; receiving a data submission, the datasubmission comprising one of a video file, an audio file, a multimediafile, and a picture file; generating at least one alternative for thetarget rendering medium through simulation; and associating the at leastone alternative simulated selection with a user account.
 15. The methodof claim 14, further comprising manipulating the data submission for thespecific target rendering medium, outputting the at least onealternative, and subsequently receiving the at least one alternativesimulated selection of one of the alternatives.
 16. The method of claim15, further comprising receiving information associated with at leastone target rendering medium for generating manipulated alternatives. 17.The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a selection of atleast one target rendering medium.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein aprocessor receives the data submission, generates the at least onealternative for the target rendering medium, and outputs the at leastone alternative for selection.
 19. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising an outputting device that provides the at least onealternative simulation to the user account for selection.
 20. The methodof claim 15, further comprising associating the selection with anaccount identifier.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the selection isreceived via a user account interface.
 22. The method of claim 15,further comprising receiving a selected alternative simulation from theuser account.
 23. The method of claim 14, further comprising associatingthe selected alternative simulation with the user account.